Courtney Mattison (born in 1985)[2] is an American artist involved in marine biology and ceramics.[3] She hand-crafts sculptural installations inspired by coral reefs and climate change, that are exhibited in art museums and building lobbies around the world.[4]
Courtney Mattison | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Skidmore College, Brown University |
| Notable work | Our Changing Seas III, Revolve, Confluence (Our Changing Seas V)[1] |
| Website | courtneymattison |
Education
editMattison is an environmental artist who is known for her sculptures all around the world.[5] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in marine ecology and ceramic sculpture from Skidmore College in New York that included coursework at James Cook University in Australia. After graduating in 2008, she spent a year as a fellow at the Harvard Ceramics Program before earning a Master of Arts in environmental studies at Brown University, where she completed half of her coursework at the Rhode Island School of Design.[6][7]
Work
editMattison creates complex installations composed of many ceramic pieces sculpted to look like coral and other marine organisms. She builds hollow ceramic forms and manipulates their surfaces using simple tools such as paintbrushes and chopsticks to create textures that mimic the porous cavities of coral colonies. Pieces are bisque fired, glazed and fired again before being fitted with hardware. Her wall installations have been composed of as many as 2,000 individual pieces.[3][8][9]
In 2011, Mattison created her debut sculptural installation displayed in the lobby of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[6] In 2014, she created Our Changing Seas III, a wall relief of massive, intricately hand-detailed ceramic sculptures to represent coral reefs in the midst of being bleached.[1] In 2021, Mattison introduced the works Revolve and Our Changing Seas VII, featuring combinations of vibrant forms of healthy reef creatures with others sculpted in white porcelain to convey the effects of the climate crisis, including bleaching.[10]
One of her installations, called Confluence (Our Changing Seas V), was a project commissioned by the U.S. Department of State through their Art in Embassies office and is permanently installed in the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2021. It was known to be Mattison's largest work to that point.[6][11] Her works are also permanently installed in The Seabird Resort in Oceanside, California,[12] the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center in Dania Beach, Florida, and the Coral Triangle Center in Bali, Indonesia.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b Brownlee, John (21 June 2016). "Coral Sculptures Show How The World's Reefs Are Dying Out". Fast Company.
- ^ Nodjimbadem, Katie. "Does This Sculpture Depict a Coral Reef Collapsing or Recovering?". Smithsonian Magazine.
- ^ a b Capossela, Francesca (June 20, 2016). "Art Mimics Life in a Dying Coral Reef Installation - An ocean advocate and artist Courtney Mattison depicts the end of the coral reef". www.vice.com. Vice magazine.
- ^ Daichendt, James (11 February 2019). "From marine biology to gallery walls: At Lux, artist Courtney Mattison draws attention to the fragility of our oceans". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
- ^ "Gallery: Sculptures by Courtney Mattison". World Wildlife Fund. World Wildlife.
- ^ a b c Sheih, Anita. "Artist Courtney Mattison '11 AM draws on her master's in environmental sciences to create ceramic installations of the colorful invertebrates at the heart of our endangered coral reefs". www.brownalumnimagazine.com. Brown Alumni Magazine.
- ^ "Courtney Mattison - Profile Artist and Ocean Advocate". skidmore.
- ^ Bernstein, Faith. "Coral-like sculptures come with important message about climate change". Good Morning America.
- ^ Sierzputowski, Kate (19 October 2018). "A Whirling Porcelain Coral Reef Draws Attention to the Cost of Climate Change". Colossal Media.
- ^ "Hundreds of Ceramic Marine Creatures Radiate in Gradients to Show the Effects of Coral Bleaching". Colossal. 26 October 2021.
- ^ Spayde, Jon (July 22, 2021). "Artists open our eyes to exquisite ocean beauty and the perils these waters face". American Craft Council.
- ^ Barnes, Sara (29 October 2021). "Swirling Ceramic Installations Raise Awareness For the Fragile Beauty of 'Our Changing Seas'". My Modern Met.
- ^ "Fragile Earth: The Naturalist Impulse in Contemporary Art". ArtfixDaily.